Cloud Architecture Design

Cloud Architecture and Design

Cloud architecture defines how all the components of a cloud—including servers, storage, databases, and networking—are configured and connected to run specific applications. A good design ensures that an organization can meet its business, performance, cost, and security requirements.

Renati can help provide your firm with Architecture Assessments and consulting to provide an objective view on your Current State Architecture and potential gaps or areas to improve to ensure your environment is as safe and running as efficiently as possible.

Core Cloud Architecture Components

Front-end: The part of the system that users interact with, such as a web browser or mobile application.
Back-end: The "server side," which contains the computing resources, databases, and application logic.
Network: The technology, such as the internet or a dedicated connection, that connects the front-end and back-end.
Cloud delivery model: The type of service provided, such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), or Software as a Service (SaaS).
Management software: Middleware and other tools that coordinate communication between components and manage resource allocation.

Common Cloud Deployment Models

Public Cloud: Services are shared among multiple customers and managed by a third-party provider like Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure. This model is cost-effective and highly scalable.
Private Cloud: Infrastructure dedicated to a single organization, which can be hosted on-site or by a third-party. It offers more control over data and security, which is beneficial for organizations with strict compliance needs.
Hybrid Cloud: Combines a public cloud and a private environment, allowing data and applications to move between them. This offers flexibility to optimize for cost, security, and scalability.
Multi-Cloud: Involves using services from multiple public cloud providers to avoid vendor lock-in and leverage specific best-in-class tools.

Cloud Security

Renati Cloud Security focuses on protecting your data, applications, and infrastructure deployed in cloud environments. It is a critical component of any cloud architecture design and operates under a shared responsibility model, where both the cloud provider, Renati and you as our customer have security duties.

Key Principles

Confidentiality: Preventing sensitive data from being accessed by unauthorized individuals. This is achieved through encryption, strong access controls, and the principle of least privilege.
Integrity: Ensuring that data and systems are accurate, reliable, and not tampered with. This includes using checksums and version control.
Availability: Guaranteeing that cloud services, applications, and data are accessible when needed, often through redundancy and failover mechanisms to protect against denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.

Renati Cloud Security Controls and Practice Areas

Identity and Access Management (IAM): Controls who can access cloud resources and what actions they can perform. This is a foundational security measure for managing permissions and preventing unauthorized access.
Data Protection: Safeguards data at rest (in storage) and in transit (moving over a network) using encryption and data loss prevention (DLP) tools.
Network Security: Protects network traffic within and between cloud environments using tools like virtual firewalls, network segmentation, and intrusion detection systems.
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM): A tool that continuously monitors for misconfigurations and other vulnerabilities in a cloud environment. Misconfigurations are one of the leading causes of cloud data breaches.
Security Incident Response: Defines the processes for addressing and recovering from security breaches or cyberattacks.
Compliance and Governance: Adheres to regulatory requirements and industry standards, such as HIPAA or GDPR, through documented policies and controls.
Shift-Left Security: Integrates security into the development lifecycle from the earliest stages. By incorporating automated security testing, vulnerabilities can be identified and fixed before deployment.

Where to begin?

Renati can help by providing you with an initial free high-level Cloud Architecture Assessment and gap analysis of where you can focus efforts based on urgency, risk, and return on investment.

Cloud Architecture and Design​​

Cloud Architecture and Design